Birds and Nature

I finally got out to South Padre Island yesterday to enjoy the great birding in the birding haven adjacent to the Convention Center (NOT the misnamed 'Birding & Nature Center'). I watched this female American Redstart has been reported there for a few weeks as she very actively fed mostly in the lower levels of the trees and shrubs. I did get photo when she would stopped briefly in a little sunlight. The photos shows the gray head, whitish eyering, plus the small yellow patches on tail and sides though not the yellow patch on wings found on females. I also saw the Gray Catbird that has been reported there but it also stayed low in the darkened areas so I didn't get a photo of it. There were a good number of Yellow-rumped Warblers, a few Orange-crowned Warbler and Ruby-throated Kinglets flitting around these wonderful habitat provided by local volunteers. SeEtta

I heard this American Redstart singing it's heart out this morning on the Canon City Riverwalk. Not visible on these pics was the peach coloration on it's side below it's throat. It does have dark lores as found on this age and gender of this species. Though a 'yearly' (as termed in Birds of North America online, that same reference states that despite their female like plumage they are sexually mature (noting that only 50% reproduce "due to shortage of mates." This species has nested less than a hundred miles north of here. Since it is breeding time I wonder if it found a mate would they nest here. SeEtta

I found this male American Redstart in a Colorado hotspot called Tempel Grove located just south of Negronda Reservoir and along a major irrigation canal. Unlike much of this and other irrigation canals there is a lot of vegetation, both trees and shrubs, that the Tempels had to fight the canal company to keep (irrigation companies routinely destroy vegetation along canals to reduce water loss). Melody Temple, who is now deceased, loved birds and her husband has dedicated the birding trail area along the canal that is generously open to birders in her memory. This male American Redstart in his striking breeding plumage was feeding in some of the trees just off the canal (currently empty). It has what looks like a fly in it's beak in the top pic. The only other warbler I found there was a Hooded but I only heard it sing twice and did not find it visually. SeEtta

This female American Redstart was found yesterday morning by local birder Rich. I refound it a little later but it stayed in the thick vegetation and didn't fan it's tail much.  Today it came out in the open more and fanned it's tail constantly as is characteristic of this species. As shown on the photos she has large yellow base to tail feathers, yellow on sides, no apparent yellow on wings but some under her wings and along sides which is indicative of a first year female American Redstart. SeEtta

In addition to the Zone-tailed Hawk, there were some nice warblers wintering at Frontera Audubon Center in Weslaco,TX including this female American Redstart. In the top pic she fans her tail, a behavioral characteristic associated with this species. SeEtta

Before I left Lamar I stopped by the Lamar Woods where I found this pretty female American Redstart on Monday morning feeding in and around a grove of tamarisks but I was unable to photograph her. That evening around 6:30 pm I found the bird in these photos, a female American Redstart that was right in the same tamarisk grove where I had seen the bird in morning so likely the same one. She, and other warblers, were very actively feeding but she was higher up so I got these pics. The next morning I spotted a female American Redstart foraging within 20 feet of where I had seen this bird before so again likely the same one that had stopped over to fatten up for the next leg of her trip south. SeEtta

I ran into local birder Jill White Smith who had found an American Redstart in Lamar Woods earlier this morning. I was able to refind it as well as a second American Redstart foraging nearby. These two were very active, flitting about constantly and quickly higher in the canopy. I think these are adult females because they have the 'yellow base of remiges' noted in The Sibley Guide to Birds . SeEtta

Today I birded again at Quinta Mazatlan World Birding Center in McAllen,TX. The weather really sucked--the winds were gusting up to 35 mph, the humidity was awful and it got to 96 degrees in McAllen and was that temperature when I returned later this afternoon. I almost never wear shorts when birding but it was so bad this afternoon I couldn't bear to put on long pants. I found the female but a McAllen resident who used to be on the board of Quinta Mazatlan told me about the male. They were both in the same area near the golf course. Both redstarts were actively foraging. The female stayed up in the trees but the male bird did go down on the ground by a small pond as shown in the bottom 3 pics. Quinta Mazatlan had other migrants including a possible first year female Hooded Warbler and 2 other warblers I didn't get a good look at plus a male and female Orchard Orioles. SeEtta